In the age of social media, not even the Paris Olympic medals could escape the ‘unboxing’ trend. However, thanks to the athletes who participated, the trend gave netizens a closer look at the coveted medals they otherwise would’ve never experienced. The Olympic champions showed the unique boxes, special pins, and the medals themselves.

However, even before the Games ended, some issues appeared with the beautifully designed medals. Team USA’s Nyjah Huston uploaded a now-viral video showing how his bronze medal showed signs of degradation after a handful of days. “Alright, so these Olympic medals look great when they are brand new,” said the skateboarder.

Houston explained that the imperfections appeared after wearing the medal for a while. “After letting it sit on my skin with some sweat for a little bit and then letting my friends wear it over the weekend, they are apparently not as high quality as you would think,” added the Olympian. Yet, despite this shortcoming, netizens on X once again went gaga over the beauty of the medals for the upcoming Paralympics. In fact, they liked the design even more than the one Nyjah Huston received.

Paris called on LVMH jeweler Chaumet to design a medal to link the spirit of the Games with France. While both the Paris Olympics and Paralympics medals share many design elements, they also have significant differences. The fronts of both medals sport the iconic and now-family hexagonal piece of iron from the original Eiffel Tower with a ‘Paris 2024’ emblem.

The “radiance” element, which is made up of fine lines that project outward from the hexagon, also remains intact. The embossed lines embody “The radiance of France in the world and the shining performances of the athletes at the Games,” according to Olympics.com. Finally, six metal appendages that affix the hexagon to the center also remain intact on the Paralympic medal.

However, the backs differ greatly between the Paris Olympics and the Paris Paralympic medals. And it’s the reimagined back that led netizens on social media to unanimously declare the Paralympic deal as the superior one.

The fans unanimously decided to put the Paris Olympics medal in second place

“(The) Olympic medal is so basic compared to the Paralympic ones,” commented one X-user. The other side of the Paralympic medal had a uniquely engraved upward view of the Eiffel Tower, with the Paralympic logo at the center. Meanwhile, the space between the feet of the tower houses the Paris 2024 and Paralympic Games in Braille. This unique touch serves several purposes.

Not only will visually impaired adults be able to determine the words, but it’s also an homage to the universal language’s French inventor, Louis Braille. The medals will also have dashes engraved on the edges to symbolize if they’re gold, silver, or bronze. “I for gold, II for silver, and III for bronze,” revealed Olympics.com.  These subtle details also earned praise from the fans.

“The braille on the sides is such a cool touch,” commented a netizen. However, some were far less elegant in their critique of the standard Paris Olympics medal. “Looks like a real award and not a chocolate wrapper,” commented a fan. However, besides comparing the “radiance” element to a chocolate wrapper, the comment also revealed a misconception among those who commented.

“@ everyone that thinks these are two different medals: this is the back and front of the Paralympic medal. The Olympic medal has a different back and a blue ribbon,” commented an individual. Their comments indicated that many people may have mistaken the back of the Paralympic medal for its front.

While the backside of the Paris Olympics medal may be far more standardized, it also links both medals in design. Like every Olympic medal since the 2004 edition, the Paris 2024 medal contains an image of the goddess of victory, Athena Nike, in the foreground. The Acropolis of Athens occupies the left side of the background, while the Eiffel Tower is engraved on the right.

Although far more generic, the back side of the Summer Games medal also sports excellent craftsmanship. Yet, following the viral video by Nyjah Huston, One fan couldn’t help but wonder if the Paralympic medal would also suffer the same fate as its predecessor. “Yeah but how long does this look last? Cuz with the Olympic medals sh*t looks rusted after 2 days lol,” commented a fan.

Of the hundreds of athletes who earned medals at the Paris Olympics, only the Team USA member’s medal underwent such dramatic degradation. However, this is the first time such a thing has happened with an Olympic medal. So the question remains if the much-loved and quiet Paralympic medal will also exhibit quality issues.